Rally Dog/Handler Attire Questions

 But I'm super paranoid. He'd probably never go, and if he did he'd go play with people or go to a crate. Still, I had a bolter, and I will probably never get over it.

Anyway, what about maybe a name plate on a black collar. Perhaps if I get him that, say nothing about it, act like it's what he wears all the time, I can get away with it. Maybe I'll get a slide on one. That way, if anyone makes a big deal over it, I can take it off. 

Misha is a nervous/shy dog. We'll be doing LOTS of work before the end of the year, getting his CGC, taking classes, before his debut. He won't bolt, but he doesn't have a recall right now. If something were to catch his eye, and he did something crazy like... jump a fence (he could easily jump 4 1/2' though to date he hasn't), it could cause issues. He is microchipped, but I wouldn't trust it to be checked. The first parts of Rally are all on leash, which won't be an issue for us. If I'm still not confident about his recall, once I've seen the ring setup and he's been exposed to the ring and competition, I won't continue with him.

Cher currently wears a slip collar with her tags on it until we are ready to go into the ring.  I just take it off as we're getting ready to go into the ring & drop it on the steward's table.  When we come out of the ring I grab it, slip it back on & then we haul butt back to Cher's crate so that she can have her jackpot.

I do have a leather id collar being made for Cher.  It will have her name as well as my phone number tooled on it.  Cher won't bolt, or leave my side but if she was to escape her crate (she already has once) there is no way that she will allow a stranger to catch her.  My hope is that the print on the collar will be visible & a person seeing her will be able to call me. 

I have seen a couple of dogs in the ring wearing collars that had their call name & number embroidered onto the collar.  I believe that the collars are kind of a gray area in terms of the rule book.

miranadobe

...I guess I am among the peeps who would be very concerned if you have a dog you think might bolt and worry about ID tags, why you would feel ready to compete?...

My thinking is, dogs are animals.  No matter how well trained they are, there is always the chance something is going to happen and cause them to bolt.  In the case of a dog on the Rally list, it's thunder.  And, you can add me to the "paranoid" list. 

griffinej5

Anyway, what about maybe a name plate on a black collar. Perhaps if I get him that, say nothing about it, act like it's what he wears all the time, I can get away with it.

Yeah, you don't want to walk into the ring trying to circumvent rules and the Code of Conduct.  It is a sport, and the rules are there to make things fair for everyone competing.  It's better to just be honest and ask the question - it sounds like getting an embroidered collar is the currently acceptable way to go.  You can always email AKC directly at rally@akc.org - they're usually really fast to respond, but right now with all the hullaballoo about the rules changing 4/1, they might be inundated w/emails.

miranadobe

...but right now with all the hullaballoo about the rules changing 4/1, they might be inundated w/emails.

A little update on that- new regs will now go into effect on Wednesday, April 4th. 

 Yes, I know, I almost wrote that, but didn't want to confuse the issue, since these are all newbies.  AKC really kind of screwed up on that, didn't they? lol

Paige, I'm competent enough to understand a date change. I'm even competent enough to have read the rules (though I admit not the changes). Asking questions in order to better understand something I am interested in, and then asking clarifying questions, doesn't mean I don't understand things. I've emailed the AKC to ask the question, so hopefully I will get a straight answer, without any question of my competence.

I would not stress over collar/leash.  For rally events honestly I just use whatever is on the dog or what I have with me.  No training collars goes without saying.  Take the tags or anything dangle-y off.  I've never seen a judge care the width of the collar or leash or what pattern or marking is on it. 

I personally use a short leash in Novice because everyone I've seen with longer ones is fumbling with the 3-4 extra feet.  If the dog is trained to heel I don't want 6' of leash wadded up in my hands, especially in rally where you are often passing the leash around your back.

 

aDorkable

Paige, I'm competent enough to understand a date change. I'm even competent enough to have read the rules (though I admit not the changes). Asking questions in order to better understand something I am interested in, and then asking clarifying questions, doesn't mean I don't understand things. I've emailed the AKC to ask the question, so hopefully I will get a straight answer, without any question of my competence.

Wow - I don't know what I said that upset you, and I never called into question your "competence".  I was simply saying they are really quick to respond to any email inquiry I've ever had, but considering all the confusion and uproar caused by the rule changes, they might be slower to respond.  That's it.  I don't know how that came across as something you should snap at me about like that.  So be it.  I've been in the sport for 6 years, they've change things constantly over that last 6 yrs.  Take my comments however you want, but no mention of competence was stated or implied.

miranadobe

 Yes, I know, I almost wrote that, but didn't want to confuse the issue, since these are all newbies. 

Implying that a date change, which has nothing to do with understanding the finesse of the rules, is too complicated for "newbies" to understand doesn't suggest that we are somehow incompetent? I'm not disregarding the information you have given me, as I respect that you have been active in the sport for many years. Even though you called into question my judgement about entering Misha into the ring at all, since he's predominantly a breed notorious for having little recall, and since many other people have suggested that they too were concerned about the no tag rule. I have read the rules, in my opinion, the rules are unclear about certain aspects of tags -- and attaching tags to a collar would offer a competitor no advantage, so I don't know why it would be "unfair" to feel safe. Yes, Misha is microchipped, and I think many of our dogs are, but microchips and tattoos are secondary identifiers that not everyone thinks to check for. Re-re-reading the rules I find this note on tags [for Obedience, not specifically Rally]: "Nothing may be hanging from the dog’s collar." (p 20 of the Obedience Regulations, Section 17) I found no mention of tags or collars in the section dedicated to Rally, nor did I find any mention in the revised rules. There is no indication that tags which lay flat against a collar are disallowed, or in any way "unfair." As it is, if I am not allowed to label Misha in some way, I will likely use a variation of Amanda's tactic and keep his tags on until we enter the ring.

aDorkable

miranadobe

 Yes, I know, I almost wrote that, but didn't want to confuse the issue, since these are all newbies. 

Implying that a date change, which has nothing to do with understanding the finesse of the rules, is too complicated for "newbies" to understand doesn't suggest that we are somehow incompetent?

  My point about "confusion"  was simply the effective date change is irrelevant to someone who wants to know about tags being allowed or not.  The content pertinent to id/tags hadn't changed.  Sounds like you read waaay more into it.

I'll be seeing several AKC Rally judges tomorrow morning and could ask your question directly, but you've got it under control.  

 

 

Just a drive by observation? As to the newbie thing only...

I took it to mean you are new. I was a newbie the day I showed my own dog in the conf. ring for the first time and NO amount of matches or preparation made me as knowlegeable as the breeder/owner/handlers or pro handlers that were in there with me. Not good or bad...just was. I learned as I went.

There were (are? lol) still things I did not get or understand, patterns I did not know and rules I had no idea applied to me or my dog, or how they did so or did not do so. It's not like I did not prepare...it was only that I was new.

The word newbie can be demeaning, I do understand that, or it can be just a word. I did not get any kind of demeaning vibe from Paige's post...truly. As always? Your mileage may vary.

 

Best of luck when you go into your ring :)

aDorkable

miranadobe

 Yes, I know, I almost wrote that, but didn't want to confuse the issue, since these are all newbies. 

Implying that a date change, which has nothing to do with understanding the finesse of the rules, is too complicated for "newbies" to understand doesn't suggest that we are somehow incompetent? I'm not disregarding the information you have given me, as I respect that you have been active in the sport for many years. Even though you called into question my judgement about entering Misha into the ring at all, since he's predominantly a breed notorious for having little recall, and since many other people have suggested that they too were concerned about the no tag rule. I have read the rules, in my opinion, the rules are unclear about certain aspects of tags -- and attaching tags to a collar would offer a competitor no advantage, so I don't know why it would be "unfair" to feel safe. Yes, Misha is microchipped, and I think many of our dogs are, but microchips and tattoos are secondary identifiers that not everyone thinks to check for. Re-re-reading the rules I find this note on tags [for Obedience, not specifically Rally]: "Nothing may be hanging from the dog’s collar." (p 20 of the Obedience Regulations, Section 17) I found no mention of tags or collars in the section dedicated to Rally, nor did I find any mention in the revised rules. There is no indication that tags which lay flat against a collar are disallowed, or in any way "unfair." As it is, if I am not allowed to label Misha in some way, I will likely use a variation of Amanda's tactic and keep his tags on until we enter the ring.

According to that, it would appear that I could use a collar with a collar tag that lays flat. There is a line on page 9 about attaching something to the dog for protection or adornment. I ordered a collar tag that will lay flat from boomerang tags. It should meet the regulation, but it is simple enough to remove if anyone says it's not allowed. Then again, APDT allows tags as long as they don't interfere with the dog's movement. The collar tag will clearly meet that regulation.

Sent an email to the AKC, since that's what I'll be showing in. This was their reply: "As long as there is nothing hanging from the collar, it is properly fitted and not a special training collar – we do not care what color it is, or what it embroidered on it. As long as the leash is made of fabric or leather and only be long enough to provide adequate slack during the Heel on Leash exercise, we don’t care about the width. You need to use a leash – within the guidelines above – that is appropriate for you and your dog."